Memory accessibility and medical decision-making for significant others: the role of socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting.

1Department of Psychology, New School for Social Research, The New School , New York, NY , USA.

Abstract

Medical decisions will often entail a broad search for relevant information. No sources alone may offer a complete picture, and many may be selective in their presentation. This selectivity may induce forgetting for previously learned material, thereby adversely affecting medical decision-making. In the study phase of two experiments, participants learned information about a fictitious disease and advantages and disadvantages of four treatment options. In the subsequent practice phase, they read a pamphlet selectively presenting either relevant (Experiment 1) or irrelevant (Experiment 2) advantages or disadvantages. A final cued recall followed and, in Experiment 2, a decision as to the best treatment for a patient. Not only did reading the pamphlet induce forgetting for related and unmentioned information, the induced forgetting adversely affected decision-making. The research provides a cautionary note about the risks of searching through selectively presented information when making a medical decision.

KEYWORDS:

Phases of Experiment 1, for the Positive Valence Condition. In the Study and Selective practice phases, R stands for relevant information; Rp+ for retrieval practice plus; Rp− for retrieval practice minus, and Nrp for no retrieval practice. In the Negative Valence condition, participants selectively practiced relevant disadvantages for two of the four treatments.

Phases of Experiment 2, for the Positive Valence condition. In the Study and Selective practice phases, R stands for relevant information; I stands for irrelevant information; Rp+ for retrieval practice plus; Rp− for retrieval practice minus, and Nrp for no retrieval practice. In the Negative Valence condition, participants studied irrelevant disadvantages (the negatively stated version of irrelevant advantages) and relevant advantages (the positively stated version of relevant disadvantages) for each treatment, and selectively practiced irrelevant disadvantages for two of the four treatments.